


The Collapse

by CyanideVixxen



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 12:09:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13247943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyanideVixxen/pseuds/CyanideVixxen
Summary: Sara starts out the day beautifully, before everything in her world falls apart.





	1. As it Starts

I could hear Mai snoring lightly when I woke up. Looking over, her skin was glowing a bit in the sunlight. It reminded me of the first time we went to a bar together, in casual clothes.   
“Ghost?” I called out softly, trying to avoid waking Mai. “Get me today's forecast.”  
I heard him rise from his resting place, a spot on the shelf next to Mai's ghost. He came over and looked out the window. “Currently overcast..will storm later. May be harsh, I suggest keeping indoors or under cover. So no downtown strolling.” He came over next to me. “You could always stay here and clean your place finally.” I sat up and shrugged.  
Mai rolled over to face me and opened her eyes. “He's got a point,” she said, “your place is a bit cluttered. I'll help.”  
I leaned over to her and kissed her softly. “Yes, but then I might actually look like I care about myself.”  
She laughed and sat up. I pulled the blankets off of me and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. “Let me get breakfast before we decide. Do we wanna go out or make food here?”  
“Hm...it's nice out, let's go ahead and go out for breakfast. There's that one cafe I've been wanting to try.”  
I got up and went over to my dresser. I could have worn armor, but it usually brings attention to us, and it was my day off. I pulled out some casual clothes and tossed them onto the bed. Pulling my current clothes off, I watched Mai smile at me.  
“God, you're beautiful,” she whispered.   
“I'm a beautiful mess,” I laughed as I started getting dressed again. “Fucking messing up missions for the hell of it. You know I do that.”  
“Yeah, Zavala complains about it all the time.” She got up and went to her stash of clothes. “Also, we do laundry tomorrow. If you work, I'll do it. I'm not letting you re-wear the same thing ten times before washing.”  
I threw my dirty shirt at her. “Fine, you can be the cute housewife. I'll be the one who does all the work.” I dodged as she threw the shirt back at me. “I mean, what's the worst that can happen? I die? Oh no, what a tragedy! Three seconds of nothing!”  
My ghost came up to me. “Sara, Cayde wants you in the hall after you get back. Nothing urgent, just some updating he wants to do in-person.”  
I looked at Mai. “Let's go on out, then. You can start on the apartment while I go see what's up.” I held my hand out to her. “Shall we, m'lady?”  
She laughed and took my hand. “Of course, madame. Let us stroll through the city in search of some breakfast.” We headed out, locking the apartment behind us. It would be a few more days until Mai went back to her post on Mars, I wanted to get as much time as I could with her. I could still talk to her while she was out, but just talking wasn't enough.  
We walked down the hall to the elevator. There was the option of going up and taking the shuttle down, but the shuttle was usually crowded in the morning because of people going to and from work. The elevator wasn't as bad, and was quieter overall.   
“Hey, Sara?” Mai had a hint of concern in her voice. “I've got a bad feeling about today. I'm just hoping it's nothing or maybe something small, like the cafe is closed.”  
I looked at her. “Trust me, anything happens, I'll kick ass to make up for it. Alright?”  
She laughed. “You'll do that anyways. And I'm the one getting you out of trouble. Just...be careful, okay?”  
“I will. I promise.” Her tone did worry me. Was something going to happen? It had been awhile since a major conflict, but there were no warnings or unusual activity anywhere we checked. Maybe it was nothing. The elevator doors opened, and I saw a titan standing, looking at his scroll.  
“Hey, Rein.”  
He looked up and gave a small wave. “Hey, you two. Headed down?”  
We both nodded and got in. Mai went to press the ground floor button but it was already lit. “Headed into the city?”  
“Yeah,” he replied, “gonna grab food. Zav's stuck me watching the satellites today, don't wanna be bored to tears on an empty stomach. Same thing for you two?”  
“There's a cafe somewhere Mai's been wanting to try. Wanna join?”  
Rein closed his scroll and watched the floors tick down. “Sure, why not? Beats eating alone. Though, I'm worried about Sara's behavior.” He gave me a knowing look. “Miss banned from training anybody.”  
I shrugged and stuck my hands in my pockets. “Only because of the one incident. Completely not my fault.”  
Mai leaned against the wall of the elevator. “I mean...you did throw at least two off the tower. And convince one you had made Oryx your personal bitch. And spread a rumor that Cayde took orders from you.”  
“Hey,” I said, “Cayde found that one funny. And nobody stayed dead, I'm not that reckless.”   
“Whatever you say, Sara. You're still banned from training.”  
The elevator finally hit the ground floor. The three of us stepped out once the doors opened, with Mai taking me by the hand and leading the way. Our ghosts trailed a few feet behind, and Rein stayed close behind them.  
“Where exactly is this cafe?”  
Mai looked back at him. “Not too far. It's a little hole in the wall place.” She slowed down a bit to walk next to me. “You should carry me.”  
I looked at her. “If you want. You gotta pay for breakfast, though.”  
“Deal.”  
I stopped and stooped down, and Mai climbed onto my back. I stood back up as she held on, and Rein waited for me to adjust a bit.  
“You two make me jealous. You're just so...casual.”  
My girlfriend snorted. “More like I know how to be lazy.”  
All three of us laughed and went back to walking. It was still early enough there wasn't much traffic, but a few people were wandering about. It was calm, so serene and peaceful. Made me wish I had been born during this era, instead of dying in another and being resurrected to fight for this.   
“Turn left at the end of the block.”  
Mai rested her head on mine, still holding on tight. We turned the corner and headed down that street. Rein's scroll started ringing, and he opened it.  
“It's Rein.”  
I heard Zavala's voice come through. “Are you near Miss Saradin?”  
“I'm here, Zavvy. What's up?”  
He sounded surprised. “Cayde wants you here in full armor when you arrive. He was also aware you don't answer calls when you're in the city and requests that you fix that.”  
“Cool,” I said. “Request denied. I'll see you later.”  
Rein closed his scroll and pocketed it again. “You probably should, things are a bit too calm right now. Biggest conflict we've had recently is a pack of fallen trying to nest up in the wall. It's like everything is waiting for something to happen.”  
I nodded. “Yeah. There's almost always something, and right now there's not.” Mai held on a bit tighter. “Don't worry, maybe we're just in a quiet time. It can happen, you know.”  
“Yeah but...can't shake this bad feeling. Maybe food will help. It's a few doors down, by the way.”  
Sure enough, we saw a sign painted with 'Morning Sun Cafe'. I let Mai jump off of my back, and all three of us went in. A few people were scattered around tables, sipping coffee or talking quietly. A couple nodded at us coming in, then returned to their business. The barista smiled as we went to the counter.  
“What can I get you wonderful guardians?”  
Mai stared up at the menu. “Uh, large black and a cheese omelet. I'm also paying for her,” she said, pointing at me.  
“Small iced latte, and another omelet.”  
As Mai was getting rung up, I went and found a table. It was a four-top near the front windows, a bit away from everyone. I stared out the windows at the skyline. Something told me today wasn't gonna end how I'd like it to. That sort of feeling that nothing was wrong yet, but it was gonna go so very wrong.  
“Sara?”  
Mai was standing next to me with two cups in her hand. She handed one to me and took the seat next to me. “You're staring off again.”  
I took a sip. “I'm alright. Just...think I'm feeling what you're feeling.” I sighed. “Let's hope it's something small and stupid. Food coming to the table?”  
She nodded. “Said it should only be a few minutes.”  
Rein came over with a blended drink in his hand. “I'm just sticking with a drink. At least for now. Maybe I'll steal some of Sara's food.”  
I took another sip. “Maybe I'll steal your girlfriend, motherfucker.”  
“Language.” Mai glared at me for a second. “We're not in the Tower.”  
“Mai, you're not okay with me dropping an f-bomb, but you're cool with me having another girlfriend.”  
Rein laughed. “Yeah, my non-existent girlfriend. Hey, there's your food now.”  
The barista came over with two plates. She set one in front of Mai and me and stepped back. “Anything else I can get you guys? Sugar? Creamer?”  
Mai smiled. “No, ma'am, thank you.”  
“Well,” I piped up, “you can get me out of cleaning my apartment.”  
The barista laughed. “Don't think I can quite do that. You can ask your friend,” she nodded towards Mai, “to help.”   
I wanted until the barista was back behind the counter. “Hey, you've been demoted. You're no longer my girlfriend. Just friend.”  
Mai buried her face in her hands. “Sara...just eat. I'm gonna strangle you.”  
After breakfast, the three of us headed back to the tower. By now, there was a bit more activity. Some kids were playing tag in the street, with a couple parents watching carefully. Some other people were walking presumably to work. It was starting to become overcast, so I made a mental note to hurry to Cayde once I was suited up.  
“Hey Sara,” Rein started, “I'm gonna come to your apartment with you. It's on the way up and we're headed to the same place anyways.”  
“Cool,” I said. “You can tell Mai that it's not that messy.”  
Mai shot me a dirty look. “You know damn well it needs cleaned.”  
We stopped at the elevator and leaned against the wall. “You know damn well it doesn't. It can get so much worse.”  
“It shouldn't get worse. I'll get Ikora on you about it.”  
I let out an exaggerated whine. “Fiiiiine. But I still say it's not as bad as you're making it sound.” I looked at Mai and laughed. “How about you just move in permanently? That way you can keep it clean.”  
She sighed. “You know I want to, but Zavala needs me out there. It took fighting to get him to give me time here.”  
I heard the elevator doors open, so the three of us went in. Rein pressed the button for my floor and stood back. “Maybe something exciting will happen today. Keep me on my toes.” He stared at the floor indicator. “God knows I'll need it. It's gonna be hours of just boring nothing.”  
I leaned on the back railing. “I'll swap with you. You clean my apartment, I'll pretend to be paying attention to a radar.”  
“Sara, you're not getting out of this.” Mai crossed her arms at me. “You're gonna clean your place after you hear what Cayde wants to say.”  
“Fine, fine. I'm not gonna enjoy it.”  
We rode the rest of the way up in silence. I considered telling Cayde no, the feeling was getting worse. But I figured at the least, I'd hear him out and split as soon as I could. As soon as we got to my floor, we all got out and headed towards my apartment.   
“I'll be quick,” I said. “Don't like the idea of being out of my place for long.”  
We got to my door, and I unlocked it. I could see to the bedroom window, and 'overcast had become 'dark clouds covering the whole sky'. I let Mai and Rein in and shut the door, then went into the bedroom. The other two started talking as I closed that door. I just wanted to get up and get out. I got out of my casual clothes and started getting on my armor, right as I heard rain start falling against the window. I picked up my cloak and looked at it in my hands. My ghost came over next to me and stared at it too.  
“Still the one I got for you, Sara. Some things don't change.”  
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Some things.” I put it on and reached for my helmet. I heard my scroll ringing, so I picked it off of the bed and opened it.  
“Saradin?” Cayde sounded worried. “I'm gonna need you up here soon. There's...some stuff going on.”  
“I'm headed up there now. Just got armor on.”  
“You might need it. I'm waiting.”  
I closed my scroll. If Cayde was worried, nothing good could come of it. He wasn't this worried when Oryx came knocking. I opened the bedroom door and nodded to Rein.  
“We gotta go. Cayde needs me up as soon as possible.”  
He nodded in agreement and went to the front door. I gave Mai a quick hug and kiss. “I'll be back as soon as I can. Check your armor, please. I don't wanna risk anything.”  
She looked at me with wide eyes. “Sara, don't be reckless.”  
“I won't.” I went back into the hallway and closed the door behind Rein. “He didn't sound excited. I don't think it's gonna end well.”  
“I don't think so either. We'll stick together.”  
We went back to the elevator. Luckily, it was still on our floor. I hurriedly pressed the top floor and started pacing.  
“Sara, you'll be fine. So will Mai.”  
I glared at him. “Cayde has faced shit that's utterly terrifying and never sounded like he did. I'm not optimistic.”  
When we hit the top floor, I practically ran across the main plaza to the vanguard hall. It was pouring now, and between not wanting to be wet and not wanting to be in the dark, I didn't wanna hang around. Rein kept up with me, only slowing when I did. As soon as I was in the vanguard hall, I could tell things weren't good. Zavala was looking out the window, looking for something. I didn't know what and didn't care to know.  
“Cayde, I-”  
My greeting was interrupted by Zavala yelling.   
“BATTLESTATIONS!”  
I could feel my face pale. I pushed my helmet on and grabbed a gun laying on a table. Before I could even realize what was going on, I heard a ward pop up. I grabbed Rein and pushed him into it, right as the explosions started. I threw myself in and held the gun tight. This was the bad feeling. This was what I was fearing.  
It felt like forever we were waiting. Just holding onto our fear. My mind raced. Was Mai okay? Would we be okay? I could make out the outline of a ship between explosions. Cabal. They were here..but why?  
“Rein! We need to get out!”  
He looked at me. “Are you insane?! We're gonna die!”  
I grabbed his arm. “We need to start evacuating!” I pulled him out of the ward and back out of the hall. All I could see was fire. I heard yelling, but my ears were still ringing. Things were very, very bad.  
“Be ready!”  
We both raced towards the stairs. My priority was Mai. She had to be okay. She was resilient. She could survive this. I practically flew down the stairs. I needed her to be okay.   
“Sara!”  
I stopped. There weren't any stairs. The whole hall was gone. It was a gaping hole in the tower.  
“Rein, what floor are we on?”  
He looked at me. “Sara, we need to leave.”  
“Rein. What floor?”  
“Sara...this is your floor. It's gone.”  
Everything stopped. My apartment was gone. Everything was gone. My legs felt weak.  
“No....”  
He sighed. “Sara, we need to go. We can't sit here or we'll be next.”  
My blood boiled. “I'm gonna fucking murder them.” I ran back up. I didn't feel my feet hit the floor, or hear the explosions. I needed to find whoever did this.   
“There's a ship bigger than the rest. I'm gonna take a guess and assume that's who's started all of this.”  
I kept going. “Get me there.”  
“You're not going by yourself.”  
I stopped and stood an inch from Rein. “You fucking tell me I'm not. You tell me I can't go in there and make sure Mai doesn't just die and be forgotten. You tell me I'm supposed to stay here and cry and just do nothing when everything I've stood for is fucking gone because of these...these assholes. You tell me I'm gonna just watch this happen.”  
“Sara, I'm not stopping you. I'm going with you. She was my friend. And I'm gonna make sure you get back safely.”  
I paused, then started back up the stairs. My ship was probably gone. Maybe I could hijack another. Assuming the hangar was still there. I got back up to the top floor and started looking across the sky. The main ship had to be up there.  
“There.”  
There it was. Sitting there like a motherfucker. I wanted to just go punch whoever was flying that thing.  
“Get me a ship.”  
Rein nodded and went towards the hangar. I kept glaring at that stupid fucking shit in the sky. I hated it. I hated the cabal. I hated everything leading up to this.  
After some angry mental thoughts, I saw a familiar ship fly around and wait next to the edge of the tower. I ran towards it and my ghost transmatted me in.  
“Sara, we only have this one shot. This ship goes, we have to run.”  
“Then let's take the shot. I'm not doing nothing.”  
He started up towards the shit ship. My anger was only growing as we got closer. As soon as we got close enough, Rein started the transmat.  
“Ready?”  
“Ready.”  
He pressed a button, and I was suddenly on a completely different ship. I checked my gun, then ran forwards. My mind was focused on finding the head honcho. Anything that moved, I shot. Rein stayed far enough behind that he wasn't a target.   
Room after room, I killed whatever I could. It seemed like it was full of cabal, but nobody in charge. I didn't care. I'd kill every last cabal if I had to.  
“Sara.”  
I finally threw down my gun. “What?!”  
Rein looked at me. “Nobody's here. We need to get out.”  
I wanted to argue. I wanted to burn the ship and watch it fall. But I knew it wouldn't do anything. “Fine. Let's go.”  
We walked towards the back of the ship. There was the loading ramp, which should be open. I still wanted to find whoever had been on the ship. I couldn't stand by and watch everything burn.  
“My ship's gone. We'll have to try and jump.”  
I stared out as we got to the exit. Everything was burning, or already in pieces. The traveler was...being taken. I forced myself not to scream.  
“Come on, we don't have much time.”  
I took a step forward, and my blood ran cold. Something was behind me. I turned, only to get smacked away. I slid towards the edge and felt my legs go over. Right before I fell, I grabbed onto the ship.  
“REIN!”  
He turned. I could see my assailant now: the biggest, ugliest cabal I've ever seen. I gave him the nastiest look I could muster.  
“You are nothing. You are weak and useless without your light.”  
“You're a piece of shit.”  
Rein ran over and grabbed my arm. Big Ugly stepped forward as I was pulled up. He missed a second swing, only managing to grab Rein's ghost.  
“Hey, fatass!”  
He looked at me. “You will die, as will your companions.” I watched in horror as he crushed Rein's ghost. Rein collapsed to the ground and cried out in pain.  
“I'm going to fucking murder you.”  
Big Ugly looked at me and raised his fist. I charged at him, but with a stomp of his foot, blasted me back away. I braced myself so I wouldn't fall off.  
“The Traveler was meant to be ours. It has made a mistake in choosing you.”  
He picked up Rein. I froze as he went to the edge, then looked at me.  
“You will fall. All guardians will fall.”  
Time slowed down. Rein looked at me in pure horror as he slid out of Big Ugly's hand. I could only watch as he started downwards, falling past any place I could safely get him.   
“No...”  
He kept falling. I watched him go lower and lower until I couldn't see him for the smoke. I didn't wanna believe it. This wasn't happening. Any of it.  
“Now, you will fall.”  
Still frozen, I was throws off as well. I held onto my ghost to protect him as I plummeted. I couldn't lose him. I had lost everything else.  
The last thing I saw before I hit the ground was the ship starting away from the city.  
I woke up after. I didn't know how long I had been out. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? I smelled smoke and things burning. I heard screaming and yelling. As soon as I moved, my ghost started flying around me.  
“Sara! Sara, you gotta get up!”  
I could barely get to my knees, I was so weak. I tried figuring out where I was, but nothing was familiar. I managed to get standing, only barely.  
“Ghost...where do we go?”  
He scanned something on the ground. “I'll try and find some other guardians. That's about all we can do for now.”  
I looked over and nearly collapsed again. On a pile of rubble was Rein. His body was impaled on what used to be a wall, support rods sticking through him. I slowly managed over. He was still, no breathing or crying for help. I could see some blood dripping out from him, but very little. I pulled his helmet off to see his face. It was twisted into a look of pure horror. I wanted to cry. We had just had breakfast together. Everything was going fine. It started as a great day. And here he was.   
“Sara, we can't stay here.”  
I looked at my ghost. “I can't leave him.”  
“We can't take him with us. There's no point. We need to go.”  
I looked back at Rein. I wanted him to move, to give a sign of life. But I knew it wouldn't happen.  
“I'm taking his helmet.”  
“If you don't wanna end up like him we need to go.”  
We started walking. I held his helmet tightly, scared to lose it. It was all I had left at this point. It and my ghost. The apartment was gone. Mai was gone. Rein was gone. My ship was gone. The city was in flames and rubble. All I could do was follow my ghost and pray that there were others.  
“Sara?”  
I ignored my ghost. I just wanted him to lead me.  
“Sara.”  
“What?” I looked over at my ghost. He had a empathetic look on his face. Or what would be considered his face.  
“I'm picking up some small chatter. It's our only real hope so far.”  
I stared off across the burning skyline. “Lead me.”  
We kept walking. My feet shuffled through the ash and dirt that had built up. I wanted to give up and throw myself into the blaze. What was there left to fight for? Everything that motivated me before was just...gone.  
I heard distant talking. I looked up to see less smoke and burning. It was a park, the trees had been destroyed but there was still life. I could see people walking around, some sitting, and some laying on the ground. I moved faster, maybe they knew more than I did. My ghost stayed close.  
When I was close enough, two figured noticed me and waved me over. I felt a tiny bit of hope that maybe all wasn't lost.  
“Guardian!”  
I slowed down when I could see them better. There was another hunter and a warlock, both with helmets off. I stopped a few feet from them.  
“Do you have any supplies?”  
I shook my head. “What's going on?”  
The hunter looked back at the park. “The cabal invaded. Took the Traveler. They're led by this guy named Gaul, we're not sure what he wants with it or us-”  
“I do.” I looked down at Rein's helmet. “He thinks the Traveler made a mistake with coming to us.”  
The warlock nodded. “Well...he's got a decent motive. We've rounded up survivors, not sure if there's anyone else gathered in other places. We're hoping there are.” He looked at the helmet in my hands. “I'm...gonna assume something happened with that.”  
I looked at the two other guardians. “Rei. We ended up fighting Gaul. He...lost his ghost. Found him on the ground after.”  
The hunter sighed. “We've seen enough already. Rei helped around the tower a lot. We'll take up his place to honor him.” She looked back at the people behind her. “Go ahead and sit. Or something. We're gonna try and get as many as we can before moving.”  
I walked past them. A lot of civilians watched me as I walked by. I didn't feel high and mighty like I used to. I felt useless. A failure. I couldn't protect the city. I could hear kids crying. Adults crying, too. I couldn't bear to look at anyone.   
“You're okay.”  
I could hear Mai reassuring me. I tried shutting it out, my mind was playing tricks again.   
“You're gonna be okay. We made it through.”  
It was so faint. Was I already forgetting about her? I could still see her face, her smile from this morning. This morning seemed like it happened eons ago.   
“We'll find your mommy, I promise.”  
Wait, what? She had never said that to me. I couldn't be imagining. She had to be here.  
“Mai?” I called. I scanned the crowd of people. “Mai!”  
“Sara!”  
I turned from where the voice came from. I saw her, sitting by a bench. A small boy was clinging to her arm. My heart raced. She was alive. She was okay.  
“Oh my god, Sara!” She got up and ran to me, holding me tightly. I dropped Rein's helmet and held her close. “Oh god...you're safe...”  
“Mai...I saw the apartment...”  
She looked up at me. “I had my armor on, as soon as I heard the blast I got out. Barely made it. I was helping evacuate the city, they said the vanguard hall was just about destroyed...I thought the worst...oh my god...Sara...”  
I was crying now. I pulled my helmet off and held her tighter. “Zavala cast a ward of dawn before it hit. I got out and tried finding you...but the apartment was just...gone.”  
She looked back at the little boy. “I'm okay. You're okay.” She let go and stepped back. “Where's Rein?”  
I picked his helmet off the ground. “Mai....we tired fighting Gaul. He...his ghost was destroyed.”  
Mai stared at me. “Sara....”  
“We were both thrown off. He...was killed. I'm sorry.”  
She looked at the helmet. “I....we gotta keep going. For him.”   
“We will. Let's sit.”  
We went over to the bench. The boy went back to holding onto Mai tightly. She smiled at him and pulled an arm around him.  
“Thomas, this is Sara. She's a hunter. A really good one.”  
He looked at me. His eyes were filled with fear and pain. “Hi Sara...”  
Mai looked at me. “He got lost after the attack. We can't find his parents, but they're probably with another group. We'll find them.”  
I looked across the crowd of people. If this was the city's last hope, I had my doubts.


	2. After the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara recovers from the trauma of the city falling and losing one of her closest friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note: I wrote this between the Destiny 2 Beta and the official game release, so there are some discrepancies between what happens here and what's canon

Days were blending together, and not in the way I'd like. Sometimes I slept through the night. Sometimes nightmares woke me up when it was dark out. And sometimes, the nightmares didn't let me escape.  
Mai had gotten us to a small settlement some distance from the last city. I didn't know how big it was. Even looking out the front door of our small shelter sent fear to me. She usually covered it with a blanket, even with the door closed. There weren't any windows to be covered, they had been replaced with wood since the glass broke what I assumed was years ago. It was almost like a small cabin, with a bedroom Mai shared, a small kitchen and living room combo, and a tiny bathroom. She told me it was one of the nicer homes, because of what all I had done for the city.  
I woke up one morning. I didn't know what time it was, what day it was, anything. All I saw was the room dimly lit by a candle. I could hear Mai in the other room, going through something. Like a crate. I was still shaky from my last nightmare, where Mai was the one who had fallen.  
“Mai?” My voice was weak.  
She rushed over and sat on the bed next to me. She softly stroked my hair and gave me a gentle smile. “I'm here. Same thing happen?”  
I nodded. Tears fell down my face as I recalled her echoing screams as she fell out of view.  
“Shh. You're okay. I'm okay. I'm right here. Alive and intact.” She kissed my forehead. “You're safe here. We both are. Everyone is.”  
I broke down crying. Maybe I was safe now, but what about Rein? What about all the others that didn't make it? The civilians? I wasn't able to save them. Mai pulled the blanket more over me and held my hand as I sobbed.  
Thoughts entered and left my head. People who I had known but disappeared after the fall of the city. How many were dead? How many were lost? The barista at the cafe we had eaten at that morning. Where was she?  
“Sara, hun, you're okay. Everything's okay. We can rebuild. We've done it before.” She pulled me up to a sitting position and held me close. “Even if it's just the two of us.”  
I buried my face in her shoulder and let out the last few sobs. She rubbed my back and held tight. She was my miracle, even with everything that had happened. She had gotten me here and found us a place to live, had been making sure I was taken care of. She had even found her former mentor and had him visit, which got me sitting up for more than a few minutes.  
Finally, the emotions subsided enough for me to stop crying. Mai wiped the last tears off my face and kept her smile.   
“How about we get some food in you? Roast and potatoes?”  
I nodded. She went to a makeshift fridge and pulled out some food. I wrapped the blanket around me and dangled my feet off the edge of the bed. My armor had been sitting in the other room since we got here. I didn't want the memories associated with wearing it.  
“I'll have to go get more food here soon. I can have Bran come by again so you're not alone.”  
I nodded and looked down at the ground. I shouldn't need a babysitter. I had defeated gods, explored worlds, banished an entire race from the system. And now I was a wreck who couldn't even leave her house. I felt worse over it. I should be out fighting, trying to take back what was in the walls.   
“I'm also gonna ask around and see if maybe we can find someone who can help more than I can. I'm doing my best but we both know you need more than just me.” I heard her start cooking. “I heard a civilian doctor was in the settlement. I'll try and find him and see what he can do.”  
I could only sit there and listen. I wanted to say something, but it was like my brain wouldn't let me. I wanted to apologize for being such a burden. I wanted to tell her how much it meant to me that she had not only stayed with me, but was devoting herself to taking care of me. I wanted to tell her I was trying my best, but things were hard.   
“We gotta get you out of the house. That's our first goal.” She came in with a plate of food. “I know we can get you there.”  
My hands were still unsteady as I took the plate. Mai sat next to me and kissed my shoulder softly. “Go ahead and eat. I'll have to leave you by yourself for a minute to get Bran. You're safe here, okay?”  
I nodded and picked up the fork. She left, being careful to lock the door. Eating felt like a chore, but I forced myself through it. Bite after bite, I made my way through the mound of food that my girlfriend had given me. The taste was good, but my state of mind made it bland.  
I heard a knock on the door, then it opened. My mind raced as I grabbed my knife and hid behind the wall.  
“Saradin?” Bran's voice was worried. “It's me, Mairene sent me.” He stepped into the bedroom.  
Without thinking, I lunged at him with my knife. He quickly disarmed me and the knife fell to the floor.  
“Sara, you gotta stop this. I'm not gonna hurt you. Nobody will.”  
I broke down again. I fell to my knees, sobbing in front of Mai's old mentor. I was broken. I was a failure. I shouldn't have survived what Gaul did to me.  
“Come on, let's get you laying down.”  
He picked me up, resting me back in bed. I held onto the blanket tightly, shaking with sobs. I could hear him moving the plate to the living room, setting it in the sink. I slowly forced myself to calm down, focusing on my breathing.   
“You're alright, Sara. You're okay.”  
I wanted to sleep. I wanted to feel rested and okay. But nightmares plagued me. Nightmares reminding me of what happened and what almost happened. Nightmares that Rein wasn't there, but instead Mai had fallen from the ship. Nightmares that Gaul was actually me, and I was the destroyer.  
“Everyone's been playing football down in the field across the stream. Well, almost everyone. Mai refuses to leave you, and you know there's gonna be party poopers.”  
He was trying to distract me, so I focused on his voice.  
“They wanna make teams, but we don't wanna pull people we need for other things. Shaxx likes the idea of a non-crucible competition though. Maybe you should give it a try, once you're better. I feel like you'd get into it. And it's not crucible so you technically aren't banned from it.”  
Previously, I had been banned for violating multiple rules of crucible. Using your gun as a melee weapon, borrowing some unauthorized weapons, causing major psychological damage to opponents, just to name the big reasons.   
“Either way, I'm sure Shaxx would love to see you in there soon. Even just to watch. Might do you some good.”  
Maybe he was right. Football was calmer than combat, and maybe it'd do a better job of getting my brain to calm down. There had been some loose games in the city, but nothing really more organized than 'hey, we've got eight people, four on four?'  
There was a knock on the door, then it opened. I could hear Mai's footsteps from the other room.  
“Sara, I'm home!” She poked her head into the bedroom. “Hey, Bran.” She looked at me. “I got us food. Do you wanna come out here for a bit?”  
I nodded. She came over and helped me sit up, then fully stand. We went over to the main room, and she helped me sit down in a chair.  
“Mai...”   
She smiled. “Yes, love?”  
I looked at her. “I...wanna try and go to Amanda. Later.”  
Mai's eyes lit up. “Of course! She'd love to see you! How about after lunch?” I gave her a nod. She kissed my forehead softly. “Then we'll go visit her then. You'll be alright.”  
Amanda hadn't visited yet, but I knew she was here. She was probably busy trying to repair ships coming in. You don't have a whole city destroyed without taking a few hits.  
“I'll go take care of some stuff for the cryptarch.” Bran stood up and nodded to me. “You two take care. Especially you, Sara.”  
I watched as he walked through the living room and out the front door. Mai started taking food from some bags she had and putting them up. Some bread, produce, meats. A few guardians had taken up civilian jobs, since not everyone was up to fighting.   
“I can make us some sandwiches for lunch, something simple. And the barn Amanda's been working in isn't too far. But this will be great for you.”  
I hoped she was right. I wanted to be better, maybe going out and seeing people would do some good. She finished putting away food and pulled a chair next to me.  
“A few more guardians came in today. Maybe five or six. Guess they were out on a long mission when the city fell, left with everything okay and came back to ruins. Never had a clue. Took them a bit to find us, but they're here. Had a lot of resources too, stuff we can use.” She put he hand on my thigh and looked at me. “We're gonna recover from this. All of us. We'll rebuild the city, make it better. Stronger. Kids are gonna run around and play again, you and I will have a messy apartment overlooking the city and we'll go to cafes again.” She kissed my cheek. “And I won't let them ship me off somewhere without you.”  
She told me about what was going on around the Farm. New houses being built, recent arrivals, some gossip. Before I could realize the time, Sara had gotten up to make lunch. Bread was pulled out, meat was sliced, and somehow she had gotten cheese, which was a luxury here. Someone had gotten lucky and given it to us.  
“Maybe we can say hi to some other people, if there's anyone else around there.” Mai handed me a sandwich. “I don't wanna overwhelm you, though.”  
I gladly took the sandwich and started eating. She made her own, then put what was left away. We both ate in silence, me mentally preparing myself to be outside. I hadn't left the house since we got here. I had barely gotten out of bed. But I knew I had to push myself. I couldn't get better if I didn't try.  
After we ate, Mai helped me get my barely-worn shoes on and then led me to the door.  
“Are you ready?”  
Was I ever? I nodded. She pushed the curtain aside and opened the door. Sunlight poured in, and I could see the forest just on the edge of the Farm. As we left, I heard others talking. I held Mai's hand tight.  
“I've got you, don't worry.”  
People started noticing me. They watched as we walked through the place, some smiling. Was I really that well-known? Had everyone been holding their breath for me like that? I focused on finding the barn. I assumed it was the big wooden building with the sound of machinery emitting from inside. As we got closer, I could make out the skeleton of a jumpship in it.  
“Almost there. You're doing great.”  
We were close enough now I could make out figured working on the ship. One of the figures on the ground had short blond hair and a distinct metal leg. We walked up almost behind her, and Mai tapped on her shoulder.   
“Yeah, I know, Amanda said, not turning around. “There's a queue for the ships. We'll get to yours soon.”  
“Amanda, you know I'm not waiting on a ship.”  
The mechanic faced us and gave the biggest smile I've ever seen. “Sara! Oh my god!” She hugged me tight. “I was worried about you, y'all just disappeared when everything hit!” She let go and stepped back. “I heard about Rein. I'm really, really sorry. You...weren't there, were you?”  
Mai squeezed my hand. “Not right now. I can tell you later. Sara...hasn't been doing too well. But she's managed to get out of the house.” She kissed my cheek.  
Amanda nodded. “Well, it's good to see you, Sara. I don't have a lot of time, all these ships coming in need fixed or some sort of work done. I'd ask you for help, but I'm pretty sure you don't know the first thing about mechanical repairs.”  
I shook my head and felt a small smile creep onto my face. Fixing things like that wasn't my thing. Amanda turned back towards the ship and sighed.  
“I need my tools back, I got some of them out but not the heavy equipment. Things would be going so much faster.”  
Mai looked at me, then at Amanda. “Yeah. But we got out in one piece, most of us anyways.” She squeezed my hand. “I've heard there's a lot of other settlements around here, but nothing quite as big as here.”  
The other woman nodded. “Yeah, some have told us about other places they've passed by. None of them seem to have competent mechanics. They're all probably in hiding, laughing at me from the woods.”  
I leaned over to Mai and quietly whispered, “I wanna go back”. She nodded and rubbed my shoulder gently.  
“We're gonna head back. I'll see about visiting again here before too long.”  
Amanda smiled at us. “That would be great, just drop by during the day, since I don't have an excuse to get out of work.”  
The two of us walked back towards the house. I felt exhausted already, at least emotionally. Had it been that long since I had left the house? I was gonna need a lot of work.  
Months passed. I started being able to go out with Mai more, mostly to sit and talk with Amanda while she worked. Sometimes we'd visit other friends, like Bran at his place. Once we had tried visiting Ray, my old mentor. He's still grumpy and strict, but seemed to have loosened up a bit since the fall.  
“Sara, I'm going out to run some errands. You'll be okay when I get back?”  
Sara stood at the doorway of our house. The curtains had been removed, since there wasn't as much of a fear of the outside. I gave her a nod and sat up in my bed.  
“Alright. I love you.”  
“Love you too,” I said. She left, closing the door behind her. What she didn't know, was I had a plan. Bran had been scavenging in the city for anything salvageable, and I had made a request, I had bought a ring a few days before the fall, but it must had fallen out during all the commotion. Bran had found it, safely tucked under some rubble.  
I waited a few minutes, then got up. The ring was in my pocket, I double-checked it's safety. My heart raced as I opened the door and stepped out, on my own for the first time. She would be stopping by the barn before coming back home, so I headed over there.   
“Sara!” Bran raced over. “You're doing it?”  
I nodded. “She's running errands. Gonna meet her at the barn. She doesn't have a clue.”  
He was grinning. “I'll walk with you there. Wouldn't wanna miss this for the world.” He stayed next to me as I made my way towards the makeshift hangar. When we got there, Amanda was under a ship.  
“Hey, blondie,” I called.   
She rolled out from under the ship and looked excited. “Sara!” She got up and came over. “Where's Mai?”  
Bran put his hands in his pockets. “She'll be here soon. We'll bug you in the meantime.”  
Amanda laughed. “Alright. Sara, what's new?” I shrugged and looked back at the ship she had been working on. She noticed and looked back at it. “Exhaust is not working right. Making the thing overheat. Guardian tried doing some local trips and nearly had heat stroke.”  
We sat and talked, with Amanda going back to work while we carried on our conversation. I had some anxiety about what I was about to do. When was Mai gonna get here? What if she skipped the barn?  
“Sara..?”  
We all turned and saw my girlfriend standing in the massive doorway.  
“Sara, what are you doing out here? You never leave without me.”  
It was my time. I went over to her and held both of her hands.  
“Mai...I love you. I love you like I never thought I possibly could have. The first day I met you, I knew you'd be someone important to me. But I never could have expected us to grow this much together and never in this way. You've fought next to me and for me, and I do my best to do the same for you. On those long days when you were deployed, I could only think of getting you back in my arms. And the worst days with you are always better than my best days without you.”  
Mai was smiling. “Sara...you're too sweet...”  
I pulled the ring out of my pocket and went down on one knee. “Mai....I want you by my side for the rest of our lives, as infinite as it might be. I don't know anyone else I'd rather spend forever with.”  
She covered her mouth with both hands in surprise and shock. I looked at her and silently pleaded for a response.  
“Sara....I...”  
I offered a smile. “You...?”  
“I could spend forever with you a million times over.”  
I jumped up and hugged her. I could hear everyone in the barn cheering and clapping for us. I pulled her closer and gave her the sweetest, happiest kiss I possibly could. She pulled her arms around my neck and returned it.  
“I don't think 'girlfriend' is quite the right term now,” she whispered to me.  
“How about 'wife'?”   
She smiled more. “I can live with that.”  
Maybe now, rebuilding would be a bit more doable.


	3. As it Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebellion starts to grow, and Sara is given a responsibility she's not sure she can handle.

You know when you move, and it takes awhile to finally mentally settle in? I had just gotten to that point. The Farm was great. A lot of trees, it wasn't loud and busy like the Tower was. I had my wife, I had a small little house, everything was perfect. We even had the Light again, against all odds. I was perfectly content to stay like that forever.  
Then, Cayde showed up.  
I didn't think I'd see his dumb ass again. Last I had heard, he'd gotten himself into trouble on some ice rock. Something about some vex. But one day, I was running something to Amanda, and there he was.  
“Well, if it isn't my favorite hunter!”  
I looked up to see him looking happy. He did looked banged up, but intact. He went down the barn stairs towards me.  
“Sara, you have no clue how glad I am to see you have all four limbs. Considering the last time I saw you, everything was on fire and you were running to do God knows what with Rein. Where is he at, anyways?”  
I couldn't look him in the face. “He's dead. We went to face Gaul, I watched his ghost get crushed, and then he fell. He was impaled on some rods. I...found him. After I fell.”  
“Oh...I....I'm sorry.” There was genuine empathy in his tone.   
I shrugged my shoulders. “It happens. Mai made it out, she's getting some stuff for dinner.”  
He nodded. “Figured you wouldn't go anywhere without your girlfriend. Maybe I'll swing by tonight.” He looked out the front door to the barn, across the Farm. “Well, I might need your help with something. Just a small mission.”  
My eyes rolled as I looked at him. “Cayde, there's never a small mission when it comes to you. What do you want?”  
“Okay, you're right. But I still need your help. And Mai. Can you two swing by later? Like after dinner?”  
I crossed my arms. “Fine. But I won't promise I'll do it.”  
He laughed. “That's the spirit! I'll see you two later. I'll be up in the barn somewhere.”  
I left my delivery for Amanda on a workbench, then headed back to the house. What was Cayde up to? What did he want with both of us? My head filled with ideas, half of them something stupid like 'go to this dangerous area and get me a simple object', like he'd tried before the city fell.  
Mai greeted me when I walked through the door. I kissed her cheek and sat in a chair in the front room.  
“Was Amanda there?”  
I shook my head. “No, but Cayde was.”  
She sat up and looked surprised. “Cayde-6? Like, hunter vanguard Cayde-6?”  
“Yeah. He wants us to go to the barn to meet him after dinner.”  
My wife looked puzzled. “But...why? What does he want?”  
“He has some sort of mission for us. He wouldn't give me any more details.”  
She nodded. “Alright, we should probably eat then and get over there. Sooner we get done, sooner we can get ready for whatever he has planned for us.” She stood up and started going through some cabinets. “Any preference?”  
I shook my head. “Just whatever you wanna make. Don't think I'd notice what it tastes like.”  
She started pulling things out. I wanted badly to know what he wanted us to do. Was it a simple thing, like 'get in, get out, tell us about it' or something harder? We had some Light again, but I hadn't been in combat since the city fell. Neither of us had been.   
Mai worked on making dinner as I pondered. I didn't even notice when she was finished until a plate was set on my lap. She smiled and sat down with her food.  
“Thank you, love.” I started eating, still somewhat preoccupied. What could Cayde possibly need us to do?  
I finished quickly. Mai set her empty plate down on a counter, then did the same with mine. We didn't say a word as we both left the house, then headed towards the barn. I had a feeling this was gonna involve some heavy work. My wife held my hand as we walked and gave me a reassuring smile.  
“Whatever happens, we've got each other. Nobody can destroy that.”  
I nodded. “Yeah. Things have been fucked up though. Really fucked up.”  
When we walked into the barn, I saw Cayde standing up on a loft, looking down. He waved at us, then pointed to a set of stairs off to the side. We went up, greeted by the vanguard trio and a few other guardians. Zavala looked at us as we drew close and seemed pleased.  
“Mairene, it's good to see that you're alright. And you as well, Saradin. Congratulations, by the way. Amanda told us that you two got married.”  
“Thank you, Commander.” Mai seemed a bit honored. “It's good to know you all made it out alright as well. What's all this about?”  
He looked down at some charts on a table set up. “We've got some intel on the Cabal occupying the city. While we do have a counteroffensive planned, we have a high-priority mission.”  
Ikora stepped forward. “The Cabal have a weapon aimed at our sun to destroy it. We're having a team-not you-that will be going up to disarm the weapon.”  
I looked at some of the ship schematics on the table. “Why not just destroy it? It'd take care of it a lot more efficiently.”  
She shook her head. “We destroy it, it destroys our sun. Disarming it is the only way to go.”  
“The perfect defense. So what are we gonna do?”  
Cayde leaned against the table. “You're gonna go up and remind Gaul who runs this place.”  
I shook my head. “No. Not again. I can't.”  
Zavala sighed. “Saradin, we need you. You're one of the few we have who can do this. You won't be alone, we're sending you with a fireteam.”  
I turned to him and glared. “My fireteam is broken, Commander. I wanted a teammate die because I thought I could take Gaul on. I can't face him again!”  
I heard my yell echo across the barn. Everything fell silent. Both Ikora and Zavala looked shocked. The other guardians seemed uncomfortable. Cayde stood next to me and ran his hands over the papers on the table.  
“Sara, we all lost someone. You thought you lost the person you loved the most. We all saw you charge off to go find her, even while everything was literally falling apart around you. You took that anger and used it to fight. The Cabal knew you trashed their command ship. They assumed you died when you fell, we translated some of their comms. What better way to strike fear into them than to show back up and keep raising hell?”  
I looked at him. Cayde was known for joking and pranking, not for being serious. For him to do this...they really must need me.  
“Alright. I'll do it.”  
I heard Ikora sigh in relief. “Good. You'll be with Mai, of course, and another titan. Yen, if you would?”  
A taller guy came up to the table and nodded at us. I somewhat recognized him, he also ran the more difficult and high-risk missions for the vanguard, though mostly with teams. I nodded back at him.  
“You three will follow us when we enter the city. Cayde has a Vex teleporter that can get you onto the command ship. Gaul will be on there. You are to find him and destroy him. He won't be expecting you to have the Light. And Sara, he won't be expecting you to show back up. Use that surprise. This is for the city, for the people.”  
Mai stared down at the schematics. “So...just walk in and kill him? It's that easy?”  
Zavala answered her. “Somewhat. We've had other fireteams run missions to make it easier for you. There will be a lot of defenses on that ship, though. You'll need to be careful and brave.”  
I nodded. “Okay. When do we do this?”  
The vanguard trio all looked at each other. “One week,” Cayde replied. “I'd start warming up and getting ready.”  
The next day, I was back in gear. My old armor had been collecting dust in a corner of the house, but we had gotten it fixed up and back on me. We waited near our ships for Yen. The plan was to go into some fallen-infested areas and use them to prepare for the big guys.   
“Sara?”  
I looked over at Mai. “Yeah?”  
She looked worried. “You sure you can do this? I don't want you ending up like you did before. I can't lose you, either.”  
I pulled her close and held her tight. “Mai, I can handle this. I'm doing this for Rein. I'm finishing what we started.”   
She hugged me and set her head on my chest. “Alright. I love you.”  
“I love you too. We're gonna do this.”  
I heard someone walk towards us. Looking over, I saw Yen in almost full armor. His helmet was in his hands.  
“Alright, I should probably actually introduce myself, Yen Ikawata. I'm one of Zavala's scouts, at least I was.”  
Mai held her hand out. “Mairene, but I go by Mai. I worked a base on Mars for awhile, special orders from the Commander.” They shook hands, which felt way too formal for what was going on.  
“I'm Sara,” I nodded. “I'm the reason you need approval to own pets. One of Cayde's high-priority mission runners. And Mai's wife.”  
He smiled. “Means you have more to fight for. I think I've heard Zavala mention you before, Mai. Anyways, where are we headed?”  
“Hawthorne told me about a lot of fallen not too far. Said they'd be great target practice, and taking a lot out would make it easier to get supplies. Two birds with one stone.”  
Yen nodded. “Then let's go. Sara, you can take lead.”  
We all went to our respective ships. It really wasn't far, just a few minutes of flying. But no way I was trying to walk that distance. It would take too long and I didn't wanna risk being spotted by Cabal. If Cayde was right, showing up alive on Gaul's doorstep would be the best way to be seen.  
The flight over was quiet. We stayed low, so we wouldn't be picked up by radars. I didn't even know what I would have said. Things were so much different now. We had lost everything. I had watched someone die for good. Someone I cared about. I thought I lost the only person I could ever love. I watched the only place I'd known as home crumble. I had watched the city I was made to defend be destroyed.   
“Sara?” My ghost looked at me. “You're not yourself anymore.”  
I sighed. “Is anyone?”  
He looked at the landscape passing by. “I guess not.”  
We finally got to a safe landing zone near our target point. I watched Mai's ship slowly descend between the trees, then started down myself. As soon as we were on the ground, I jumped out and ran over to Mai. She greeted me with a hug and quick kiss, before we went to meet Yen at his ship. She looked at me as we walked and looked worried.  
“You're absolutely sure you can do this?”  
I nodded. “Positive.”  
We watched him finish landing, then hop out. He had put his helmet on while in his ship, so we both did the same while he walked over to us.  
“We all ready?”  
“All good,” Mai replied. The three of us headed towards a small town, where we'd been tipped off. I could only hear the soft crunching of leaves and small twigs as we went, and the unsettling silence of the woods around us. Wait, how can I hear silence? Whatever, it was still obvious to me. There were no birds, no small animals, nothing. It was unsettling.  
We found the remains of some buildings on the outskirts of the town. I peeked into a half-collapsed store, only to be greeted by rust and weeds. We went back to walking, keeping an eye out for any movement not from the gentle breeze. Something didn't feel right, it was too quiet and too safe. We reached a plaza with a tense feeling in the air.  
“Sara, go over to that apartment building and sit in it.” Mai's voice was serious.  
“What for?”  
She looked at me. “Just go, now.” Her tone told me to listen. I slipped away from the two and into the building, perching near a window so I could watch them. They snuck over to a fountain, hiding behind the edge of it. I looked across the plaza they had been in and saw why she told me to go here. A patrol of Cabal were coming forwards, marching uniformly and looking around. The two titans stayed hidden as they drew closer, and my heart started going crazy.   
When the patrol was a few feet from the fountain, Mai and Yen sprang into action. I watched as Mai lept on top of a legionary, fist colliding with his helmet. As soon as he was down, they both filled the other two Cabal with shots, only stopping when they fell dead. There was a pause as they watched the bodies, waiting for any sign of life. When there was none, my wife waved to the apartment building, signaling for me to come out. I quietly did, leaping straight out of the window and landing near them.  
“They're dead. Didn't want you to have an episode again.”  
She was talking about my panic attacks I used to get, back at the Farm. Long minutes of screaming and crying at the very mention of the Cabal.  
“What happened?” Yen looked between us. “Back when the city fell. Cayde mentioned the command ship and Gaul.”  
I pushed past him. “Let's go. We need to keep moving.”  
He jogged up to me until he was walking by my side. “Sara, why does the Cabal cause problems for you? We need to-”  
I turned to face him and pulled my helmet off, which I never did when in hostile territory. “You wanna know what happened?! I thought Mai was dead! I watched them attack the tower I was standing in! I went to beat the living shit out of every last stupid alien on that ship! Then the stupid fuck Gaul found us and took my goddamn Light! I watched the only person I thought I had left be thrown off the edge of the ship after his ghost was destroyed, then I was thrown off! You fucking tell me why I have problems with the Cabal!”  
“Sara...I'm sorry...”  
I put my helmet on. “Fuck being sorry. Fuck being miserable and scared all the damn time. I'm going to murder every last fucking Red Legion soldier I see when I'm back in my city.”I turned and started walking through the town again. I heard Yen and Mai walk behind me a few paces. Yeah, I was pissed. I remembered everything from when the city fell. And I hated every second I could recall.  
I led the way for a few more minutes. There was still silence, and none of my senses told me there was any sign of life aside from us. My ghost constantly scanned buildings we passed, but still nothing. When we came to an abandoned train station, I stopped.  
“There's something in there.” My ghost flew up to one of the doors and peeked in, then came back. “Sounds like Fallen. You ready?”  
Mai and Yen came up to me. I looked back at them, then to my ghost. After a small nod from me, we all went in. As we went through the halls leading to the platforms, we could hear faint chatter. I slowed down, trying to follow the sounds to figure out where they were. It was something I'd picked up from when I used to run missions, though I probably wasn't as good as I used to be.  
At the end of a stairway, I crouched at the edge of the wall. The Fallen had to be around the corner. Mai kneeled behind me, and Yen behind her. I looked back at my wife and nodded. Without waiting for a response, I felt a grenade prepare in my hand. When I raced around the corner, the Fallen all looked at me in surprise. Short-lived, though, as my grenade hit the ground around a few and their bodies scattered. The ones that weren't hit pulled out their guns and aimed at me. Mai came from behind me and met a captain's face with her shotgun. When his headless corpse fell to the ground, I pulled my scout rifle out and stepped back. More Fallen were pouring out further down the platforms, but I'd dealt with worse situations without an issue.  
“Yen, get ready for some fun.”  
He stood next to me with his gun ready. “Sara, if this is what you call 'fun', I can see why Cayde sends you on the missions he does.”  
Mai backed up to be on my other side. “It's also because easier missions bore her, and she starts trouble.”  
I threw down a smoke grenade, and the second I became invisible, I sped forward. Yen was close behind me, and before I could pull my knife out to hit anything with it, he leaped up in the air right next to me. He came down in a group of vandals, a wave of arc energy erupting around him. He was pulsing with it as he kept going, and any contact made with an enemy filled them with that energy, but as damage. He cleared a path as he went, leaving me in slight awe.  
My awe passed when I realized I was visible again. I started shooting, leaving dead Fallen on the tracks and platforms. Rockets whizzed to my right, as Mai did her best to get some kills in. I looked back to where she had put up a shield, and was shooting over it. She was brilliant, that woman. I turned to face the Fallen again, but was picked up by a rather large captain. He held onto my neck as I scrambled to find a weapon. He shouted something I couldn't understand, then pointed his own gun at me.  
“Let go of me you fucking shit!”  
Mai called my name out and aimed her rocket at me. The first blast stunned him, but he kept his grip. The second made him drop me, and I grabbed my gun again and retreated back to Mai's shield.  
“You okay?” She started to reload.  
“Yeah, as long as you've got my back. Remember our first mission? With the priest?”  
She looked at me. “Yeah. We're gonna go that route?”  
“Yup. I'll try and get the little guys near him so they'll get hit too.”  
“Got it. I'll keep him on me.”  
As she fired yet another rocket, I cloaked myself again and ran past the captain. I started shooting at all the Fallen around me, trying to take a few out as well as gather them to me. Yen noticed and came near me, doing the same.   
“Sara, you got a plan?”  
I switched to a machine gun. “Yeah, get the little boys together and then go near that captain. You'll know when to blow the big punches.”   
It didn't take long to feel like we had everything around us. I started edging towards the big guy, pulling the crowd near me. Every foot made me more confident in my plan. It had worked before, and I didn't see a reason as to why it wouldn't work now.  
Finally, I was ready. I jumped onto a nearby ledge, then into the air above the mass of anger and bad smell. Void light grew in my hand, and I pulled on a thread of it. A bow emerged, and when I let go of that thread, a clear shot hit the captain's feet. He looked down, before it erupted into strings that attached everything around it. Mai fired a rocket, and all I could hear were the sounds of death and explosions. My favorite sounds. But there was still Fallen standing. Yen threw a grenade, then pulled a sword out. He swung at everything moving, taking some out and causing others to endure the shared damage. I landed at started shooting again at the main captain. He was my focus, he was the ringleader. Take him out, and the others would be weaker.  
Finally, after multiple rockets from Mai and what seemed like an army's supply of bullets from me, the captain fell. When he did, the whole world seemed to fall still. The three of us all stood, trying to make sure there were no more threats. No dregs crawled out of doors. Nothing stood back up. It was done. I went over to Mai and hugged her. She held me close.  
“You okay?”  
I pulled my helmet off and smiled. “Yeah. Just remembering that first night, when we went to the bar. You're just as cute as you were then.”  
She took her own helmet off and smiled back. “So are you. Come on, we got more practice to do. The Cabal aren't just gonna line up and let us shoot them.”  
After days of hard practice, we were finally ready. We had one last meeting in the barn, to go back over our assignments. Everyone who had been given special orders was going to be there. Both completed missions and things to be done. As I checked my armor at the house, I felt some nervousness about the next day.  
“Mai?”  
I heard my wife in the bedroom, making sure everything there was secure. “Yeah?”  
“I love you.”  
She stood in the doorway, looking at me sweetly. “I love you, too.”  
I smiled at her. “No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm always gonna love you. And you're always gonna be the best thing I could have ever found.”  
We hugged tightly. I didn't wanna let go of her, I wanted my world to be just what was happening right here and now. But we both knew we had big things to do. We let go, and she unlocked the door.  
“Come on, let's go get this over with. We'll need as much sleep as we can get tonight.”  
She led the way to the barn. I could see some others there, and that the ships and mechanical stuff had been moved out of the barn. As we got closer, I noticed some civilians with guns. They looked determined, concentrated, and I admired that. It was their city, too. They had every right to fight for it.  
When we saw Cayde, he waved us closer to the front. Yen was up there already, in casual clothes. We stood near him, and the Vanguard began talking to the small crowd there.  
“Alright,” Zavala started. “Tomorrow is the day we show the Cabal and Gaul who we are. What they're up against. And tomorrow is the day we take back what we built. We have already sent some teams to gather supplies and information to aid us. Fireteam Wisdom?”  
A trio of warlocks stepped forward. One in bright robes spoke. “We've taken out one of their higher-ranking agents. We also took some of his intel and stole one of his ships, which will get someone onto the Almighty.” They went back into the crowd, calm and collected.  
Ikora spoke next. “A handful of fireteams have been working to disable some systems on the base here in the EDZ. Good work, fireteams Legion, Looters, Rogue, and Northeast. Fireteam Loyalty and Courage, your mission?”  
When that group stood, I recognized Bran as one of them. He was the one that spoke.  
“We'll be going to the Almighty to disarm it. Our goal is to render it useless to the Red Legion, without destroying it. We'll give everyone the signal to start the assault on the city. We will also be joining the assault once we make sure there is no way the Cabal can arm the weapon in any way that could compromise our attack.”  
Ikora nodded, and looked out over the crowd. “Most of you will be leading smaller groups in the assault. Your jobs are simple: take out any Cabal that stands in the city. Even a small psion that you may not think can do anything. Lead your troops and remind them they have an entire city cheering for them.”  
Cayde looked at me. “Same name?”  
I grinned. “Absolutely.”  
He cleared his throat. “And we have Fireteam Ballsack, with the final job for our assault.” There was some laughter, but it was silenced by a glare from Zavala. Cayde continued. “They're the ones with all the weight on their shoulders. They'll be the ones to onto that command ship. They're going to face Gaul, remind him what guardians are made of, and end him.”  
There was a bit of a stir in the crowd, then I saw someone come up. To my surprise, it was Ray. He was in his armor, scratched-up and beat, but intact. He looked at me, then at Cayde.  
“Cayde-6, I want to thank you for choosing Saradin for this mission. She was my apprentice, and I've watched her performance since she graduated from training. She's proven to be the top person for jobs like this.” He turned to me. “Saradin, you and your fireteam are more than capable of doing this. You've got the weight of the city on you, and I know you can carry it.”  
I nodded to him. “Thank you. I'll prove Gaul that you trained me well.”  
He went back with his fireteam. Did he really compliment me? After all this time? It was a little weird, but things had been really weird lately.  
Zavala stepped back forward and addressed everyone again. “We leave in the morning. As soon as we get the signal, we rush in. Be brave, be careful, and most of all, be merciless. Now go rest, you will all need sleep for what is to come.”  
People started leaving. I nodded to Cayde before heading home myself. Mai held my hand as we walked. She looked up at the sky when we got outside.  
“We're fighting with the world now,” she murmured. “Not for it. It's a bit different.”  
I nodded. “We can do this, though. We're stupid enough to make it.”  
She laughed and smiled at me. “Yeah, at least you are. Let's get home.”  
The next morning, the house silently sat as we prepared for the attack. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon as we went to check our weapons. We had been given upgrades, since we were vital to the overall mission. Neither of us spoke until we got to the armory. The girl who greeted us had a tired smile.  
“Names?”  
“Saradin and Mairene. Special orders from Zavala, I think.” I looked at Mai, who nodded to confirm.  
The girl went in, then came back out with a scout rifle and an auto rifle. She handed them to us, and I passed the auto rifle to Mai. We waved our thanks and went down to where a small fire pit was, down by the water. I sat down on one of the rocks, and Mai did the same.  
“Do you think we'll see this place again?” Her voice was quiet.  
I stared across the lake. “Maybe. But it won't feel the same if we do. We either come back victorious, and to gather everyone to go home, or we come back in defeat. Or we just...don't come back.”  
Mai gently pulled my face towards her. “We'll come back. We'll win this time. I know we will.”  
With her hand still on the side of my face, she kissed me softly. We stayed like that for a few heartbeats, before pulling away. She rested her head against my shoulder. All we could do right now was wait for Yen, then for Ikora to give the order to head to our ships.   
“Mai! Mai!”  
We heard a small voice come from one of the houses. A familiar boy ran across the grass to us. My wife smiled as he came up to us and hugged her.  
“Hey, Thomas!”  
His mother trailed behind. She had a long rifle on her back, and some basic armor on. I nodded at her as she approached.  
“Mai, mommy's gonna go with you guys!”  
The woman laughed. “Well, not in their group. But yes, I'm going back into the city.”  
Mai smiled. “She's a good mommy. We'll make sure she comes back, okay?” She looked up at the mother. “Where is he going to be while you're gone?”  
“With my brother. He's been living with us since he got here. But Tom wanted to see his heroes before they went out to fight.”  
The boy looked at Mai with wide eyes. “Mommy says you've got a really dangerous mission. I don't want you to die, though.”  
I leaned over and smiled at him. “We won't die, okay? We're gonna go fight the biggest, baddest guy there.”  
He nodded. “Okay. You can do it!”  
His mother laughed. “Come on, you need to go back to bed. You'll see them later, okay?” She picked him up and walked back to the house, him complaining the whole way. While they faded into the small crowd, Yen came up from one of the side houses and sat next to us.  
“Not much longer. You two ready?”  
I watched the fire dance in the morning light. “As ready as I can be.” I pulled Mai under my arm, setting my hand on her opposite hip. She sighed softly, but didn't pull away from me.  
“There's no backing out of this, you know. Once we get in there, we have to fight.”  
“I don't change my mind on these things,” I said. “They took my city. They killed my best friend. I'm gonna do this or die trying.”  
We all sat in silence. The sounds of people calling for their teams and checking their gear was faint to us. Yen was right, though. This was do or die. Once we passed those walls, we had to finish our mission.  
Finally, after what felt like forever, we heard Zavala call for us. We quietly made our way to the barn, where he stood. He led us back to the planning table, where there were lists of names.  
“You three will be with us. Cayde will be setting up the Vex teleporter once we get close enough to the command ship. Your job is to defend him until it's ready, and the teleporter will take you to Gaul's ship. From there, you'll be on your own.”  
We nodded.   
“Sara,” he continued, “you'll be taking lead. We want you to be seen first, the guardian they thought they defeated. Leading the assault. Can you handle that?”  
“Zavala, I would be glad to.”  
A small scuffle in a corner of the barn distracted us. Cayde looked like he was trying to strap a gun to a chicken. Zavala shook his head and sighed in disappointment. “Cayde, put the chicken down.”  
The exo put the gun down, but kept the bird in his hands. “Oh, come on! Colonel will do so much good for us!”   
Zavala shot him a look, then turned back to us. “Get to your ships, and head out to our meeting point. I'm going to tell the rest to load up.”  
The three of us filed out of the barn. Once we were outside, we all jogged to the makeshift airfield. Our ships were loaded with some supplies for a temporary base, plus our personal weapons. I stopped a few feet from my ship and went to Mai.  
“Sara, don't take too long.”  
I kissed her forehead. “I won't. But once we get there, I won't have time for this.” I hugged her tight and breathed deeply. “No matter what happened, no matter if we win or lose, I'm glad I had this life with you. Even if it gets cut short, it's the best life I could have ever asked for.”  
She held me tighter. “I can say the same, love. You're my everything.”  
We stood there for a moment, forgetting everything else. I only let go of her when my ghost cleared his throat. She had a brilliant smile on her face, matched by the one on my face.  
“Let's go. We've got a city to take back.”  
I went into my ship, putting my helmet on before preparing the engines. My ghost turned the ship on and looked at me.  
“Please don't die. I'd like to keep fighting with you.”  
“Sure,” I laughed. “I'll live so you can see some action.” I switched to the comms between ships. “We all ready?”  
Once we all confirmed our meeting point, I took off. It would be a few hours of flying before we made it there. On long trips like these, I usually made small talk with whoever was going with me or whoever was passing through. But now, things were too serious. I didn't even know what I could have talked about. So I sat in silence. Thousands of miles of just my thoughts to pass the time.   
I remembered things. I remembered going to a bar with Mai the night we both finished training. I remembered getting drunk one night, at that same bar, and confessing that I loved her. I remembered her sitting quietly for a bit before admitting that she felt the same way. I remembered every time I waited for her to get to the tower, sitting in the hangar impatiently. I remembered going out to dinner at nice places, and the nights we spent just laying in bed and talking about whatever came into our heads. I remembered Rein, how we went out with him a lot. I remembered him trying to talk Shaxx into letting me play just one crucible match.   
Most importantly, I remembered why I was in my ship. I was there to make sure I had more things to remember.  
When I saw the faint outline of the wall, I descended. The meeting point was just outside the wall, where the Cabal wouldn't see us. I had my ghost transmat the supplies to the area, then I jumped out. Without waiting for my fireteam, I started setting up the base. Mostly monitors that would later be hooked up to radios and the ships, to communicate with both those in the fight and on the farm. I hadn't even noticed Mai and Yen land until they were setting things up around me. There were tents, some crates of ammo, and basic things like food and clothes. When they finally finished, some of the others had started to show up.  
Ikora came over, looking over at the wall. “I hope you rested well. This will be a hard battle, both physically and mentally.” She turned to us. “A team is on the Almighty now. When they give us the signal, we begin. If you're not ready now, I highly suggest getting ready.”  
Yen spoke for us. “We're all ready, Ikora.”  
The warlock nodded, then went off to help the setup. The three of us followed, unsure of what to do until the signal was sent. Looking downhill, I saw just how big our force was. A huge mass of people were running around, both guardians and civilians. Ships were still dropping in, slowly but steadily. I was in awe of how much power we had behind us.  
“Do you think they'll expect this many?” Mai was looking at me. I shrugged and adjusted the guns on my back. She sat on the ground, so Yen and I did the same. We didn't know how long it would be until it was time. It could be hours, or it could be a few minutes from now.   
After time passed, I saw the Vanguard come up to us. Cayde was still holding the chicken, now with a knife strapped to it. He seemed pleased with himself.   
“Hey, you guys! I got our secret weapon!”  
I stifled a laugh. Zavala shook his head at Cayde, then turned to us. “They should be calling for the attack soon. We're behind you all.”  
We got up. As we did, we noticed the crowd looking up at us. They were all saluting us. I was confused, why us? When I turned to the vanguard, they too were saluting us. Cayde was grinning madly.  
“Sara, you're the only person crazy enough to try this, and the only one smart enough to pull it off.”  
It was...for me. Me, a sarcastic asshole who was constantly told they didn't work well with others, was the one they were all looking up to. I took a deep breath and nodded at him.  
Suddenly, we all heard shouting. Bran's voice came through on the comms. There was some mad laughter, and faint explosions.  
“We did it! We disarmed it! Start the attack!”  
Without a word, I turned and charged straight at the wall. A massive hole was in the side, where we had escaped through it. Footsteps echoed behind me as I ran. As soon as I was in the streets, at least a dozen Cabal foot soldiers turned to see me. I started shooting, and bodies fell. Shots came from behind me, and more died. I slowed down some, so I wouldn't be too far ahead.  
We went through the streets, taking out I don't know how many Cabal. Our goal was to find a high building, so the teleporter would be closer to the ship. We worked our way to some high-rise apartments, at least a block where some were still standing. Cabal shot at us as we went, but we shot back. My only thought was to get onto that ship and end this all.   
We got inside, only to be greeted by more Cabal. I got my knife out and went crazy, swinging at everything I could. The sounds of dying aliens filled the air as we pushed through, and bodies fell to the ground. It took what felt like hours to finally reach the roof, where we cleared out the last few legionaries.  
“Cayde, get your stupid teleporter set up.”  
He went to a corner and fiddled with it. I paced along the sides, looking down to the street. I heard distant gunfire, where other units were defending themselves. My only hope then was that we wouldn't lose too many.  
“Almost there...done.”  
Looking, I saw a glow around the teleporter. Stepping in would put us right on that ship. The vanguard all looked at us.  
“Saradin,” Zavala said, “in case this is the last time we see each other, I want to tell you that you are the bravest hunter I've ever known. And I am very grateful to have had you working for us.”  
I nodded. “This isn't goodbye, Commander. I promise you that.” I went to the teleporter, then stepped into it. Reality bent around me, and I found myself back on the command ship. Mai joined me, and after a second, so did Yen.  
“We're on our own now,” my wife said. “let's go get this done.”  
We went through the halls, looking for any sign of a guard or Gaul himself. We killed a lot of Cabal, but nobody seemed to be of much importance. I grew frustrated, where was he? He had to have known we were here. I didn't want to wait any longer. This ship had bad memories.  
Finally, Yen called us over to a corner of a hallway he was peeking around. When I looked, we saw two very fancily-armored Cabal guarding a door.   
“Those have got to be his guards,” he whispered. I nodded in agreement, then cloaked myself. I charged straight down the hall, then slammed one of the guards in the face with a grenade. The other got a few shots on me, but Yen took him down with a few of his own shots. I kicked their bodies a few times for good measure.   
Mai looked at the door. “He's gotta be in there. This is it, guys. This determines who wins and who loses.”  
The air felt heavy as I went over to the door. What if he did beat us? What if I died permanently? What would happen to the city? Civilization? Everyone I was fighting for? I couldn't think about that now. I needed to fight.  
When the door opened, we realized that it didn't lead to another room. Instead, we looked out on the top deck. Gaul was standing on the other end, facing the Traveler. He didn't seem to notice us there, so I led us towards him. My fear grew into anger. This was the beast that had killed Rein and countless others. He was the one that had taken my home and months of my time to recover. My anger grew into rage.  
“You fucking slut!”  
He turned to face me. I pulled my helmet off so he could see just how pissed I was. Booming, cold laughter erupted from him as he saw who I was.  
“You have lived. How inconvenient. I suppose I must kill you again, and your friends.”  
From behind me, I heard Mai beg, “Please don't monologue, please don't monologue.”  
“I have a really bad habit of living. Sucks for you, though, because I'm not here to say hi. You fucking killed my best friend. You ruined my city. You made me powerless and weak. Do you think you can just get away with that?”  
He stepped towards me. “You couldn't defeat me before. You cannot defeat me now, I have the Light. I am Gaul, and I will become a god! I will be immortal, and show you how much power I will have!”  
I laughed. “You think being a god can save you? I've fucking killed gods! I've killed things more powerful than you could ever hope to be! When the darkness sees me, it runs!”  
“You are no more powerful than you were when I struck you down.”  
“You're wrong,” I growled. “I've learned. I've learned what hope means. I've learned what it means to suffer, to know defeat. I've seen people come crawling out of the ashes and become greater than they were before. You might be Gaul, but I am Sara. And I'm here to fucking murder your bitch ass.”  
He stepped back, and was suddenly surrounded in swirling Light. I put my helmet back on and drew my gun. I heard him yelling out, and the Light receded. He suddenly pulled out a flaming sword, and I saw him glow with solar energy.  
“You will die!”  
He lunged at me, and I dodged. Mai and Yen both fired rockets at him, but his focus was on me. He kept charging at me, and I did my best to stay just out of reach. Rocket after rocket hit him, but still he tried for me. I only fired enough to enrage him, and it seemed to be working. He constantly screamed at me, trying harder to defeat me.  
“I WILL WIN!” His voice was furious. I jumped up onto a ledge above him and flung a grenade at his feet. He stumbled backwards, but then went back for me.  
“If you will not fall so easily, then I will prove how powerless you are.”  
He turned away from me. Instead, he went for Mai and Yen. They kept firing, trying to back up. Mai skirted around him, but Yen was cornered. He held his ground as Gaul was feet from him. My heart dropped as he was picked up, and Gaul turned to face me.  
“You will watch. You lead another friend to their death, and you will see how you cannot save them.”  
I froze as Gaul's grip loosened. This couldn't be happening again, I had to be hallucinating. Yen started to slide from his hand. I dropped to my knees. Faintly, I heard Mai call out for him.  
But he didn't fall. As soon as he was out of Gaul's hand, his fists exploded in arc energy. He slammed the ground right at the leader's feet, and I saw energy explode over and over. It was stronger than I had ever seen it be, and Gaul fell to his knees. I got up and started walking towards him. Mai ran past me and fired volleys of rockets at him. By the time I approached him, he was weak. We could tell he was weak.  
“No...no...” he cried out. “I...am...Gaul..”  
I felt void light grow in my hands. “No,” I said coldly. “you are nothing.”  
As I shot him in the head with the void bow, a light grew behind me. I turned to see what it was, and the Traveler broke free of its bonds. Light poured out of it. I felt stronger than ever. I turned back to Gaul.  
“The Traveler chose us, and we will defend it.”  
The last I saw of Gaul before he faded was a look of pure terror.

Months later, Mai and I met Zavala on the top of the newly-rebuilt tower. In the time since we drove the Red Legion out, we had rebuilt a good portion of the city. It wasn't back to where it had been, but it still was glorious.  
As we went to the railing where he was at, I held Mai's hand. She smiled at me and gave my hand a small squeeze. We had been living in our new apartment, with bedroom windows facing the new skyline. We had been given first choice on living quarters, due to our service. It was bigger than my old one, partially due to Mai living with me all the time.  
The commander turned to us once he knew we were there. He was smiling, something he'd been doing a lot of lately.   
“One year ago, the Cabal attacked. They thought they would take our Light and defeat every last one of us. But we proved how determined we are. Thanks to you, we have our home back.”  
I went to the railing and looked out over the city. “Is that why you invited us here? Remind us how awful the Cabal are?”  
He stood next to me. “No. I feel like it hasn't been proper that I rewarded you on your wedding, so I wanted to present you with a gift.” He nodded to someone a bit away. When we turned to look, a civilian came over with a gold and white puppy. Mai covered her mouth with her hands and tears formed in her eyes.  
“Commander...I...”  
Zavala laughed. “He's from a litter back on the Farm, they say he's a Corgi. But Cayde said you had been wanting a pet of some sort since you started working the base. Since you're living here now, I see no reason for you not to have one.”  
Mai held the puppy close. “Thank you, Commander. We...should go take him back home.”  
I nodded. “Thank you as well, Zavala.” We headed down towards the elevator. Mai was smiling still, holding him close but comfortably.  
“You're gonna have to name him,” I said.  
She looked at me. “I know. I...wanted to name him Rein.”  
I nodded. “Rein would love that.”  
As I pressed the button for the elevator, my mind seemed at ease. After all the trauma we'd been through, we were finally safe.


End file.
